


The Unfortunate Tale of Uther the Toad

by Plutonia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur has magic, Banter, Canon Era, Humor, M/M, Magic Revealed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-09 01:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plutonia/pseuds/Plutonia
Summary: In which the transformation of a member of Camelot royalty into an amphibian occurs (you will never guess who). Also, Arthur re-evaluates his opinion on magic and a certain manservant.





	The Unfortunate Tale of Uther the Toad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grey_hunter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grey_hunter/gifts).



> Dear grey_hunter, happy holidays to you! I must admit, I got a bit carried away with your prompt, but I hope you’ll enjoy it all the same, and have as much fun reading it as I had writing. Many thanks go to my awesome cheerleader, who helped me figure out the plot during the early, messy stages, and also my talented beta for helping me turn it into something readable (I’m not supposed to name you, but I hope you guys know who you are. You both rock <3). Of course, lots of thanks go to the mods as well for running this fest. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ever since the whole debacle with the Questing Beast, things had been... different. 

At first Arthur had written it off as luck, just a spell gone wrong during the weekly random sorcerer attack in the woods. A magical beast with four heads and still managing to be more uncoordinated than even Merlin, constantly missing its mark when it had reared up to attack. There ought to be idiots even among the magically inclined, right?

But then, there had been the incident with the giant, angry, fireball-throwing chicken-woman, and Arthur had not been able to ignore it anymore. She had hit him with one of her fireballs, directly in the chest, and it had just disintegrated. Poof. Hadn’t even left so much as a scratch on his skin—which had, of course, not deterred Merlin from fussing over him as if he was personally at fault for Arthur being hit. The endearing idiot.

Still, there was no way around the truth. Somehow he had grown immune to magic in the last few weeks. It should be a source of relief, knowing that whatever evil a sorcerer might’ve unleashed on Camelot, Arthur would be able to nip it in the bud. But he couldn’t help feeling wary. Whatever had caused this new condition of his had to be powerful sorcery in itself. Maybe it was a curse even, and the sorcerer who had put it on him was just waiting for Arthur to be off his guard before striking.

‘Well’, thought Arthur as he stepped into the throne room, ‘whoever it was has picked the wrong prince to mess with. I’m not going to be fooled so easily.’

He strode toward the throne at a brisk pace, hearing Merlin stumble slightly, only a few steps behind him as usual. By now the court was used to his constant shadow of a manservant. Even his father no more than rolled his eyes as he gave a passing glance over Arthur’s shoulder.

Yes. Merlin. He was the other reason why things had been weird as of late. Since Arthur’s near-death experience, his manservant’s behavior had been a bit off to say the least. He’d been withdrawn, almost like he was sulking, while at the same time hovering even closer around his master than he had ever done before. And that tension that had always been between them, stealing glances, lingering touches… After the realization that he’d almost been gone, never to see Merlin again, Arthur found himself having a hard time ignoring those. He didn’t know what to make of it. 

He stepped onto the dais, nodding to his father as he took his place next to the throne for the upcoming royal proclamation. Merlin made a move to follow but hesitated before the stairs when Arthur threw him a confused look. What was it with his manservant and the absentmindedness today?

“Well"—the king cleared his throat, usual disapproving frown in place that he seemed to reserve specifically for Merlin-related antics—"now that we have all situated ourselves, I would like to make an announcement.”

He sent Arthur a meaningful look and then raised his head importantly to address the assembled crowd. “As some of you may already know, there have been reports from scouts in the western lands. Rumours had reached our ears about a long-standing enemy of Camelot having been defeated. These rumours are true.”

Low mumbling rose from within the court, noblemen and servants quietly whispering among each other. A long-standing enemy?

Arthur furrowed his brows.

“Nimueh, high priestess of the old religion, is dead. This is a great day in our campaign against the evils of sorcery.”

The murmuring evolved into shocked gasps, people not being able to contain their surprise even in the stern presence of the king. Disbelieving faces looked back at their sovereign on the throne. Could it be real? Could such a terrible witch really die, just like that?

Arthur’s gaze sought Merlin’s in the crowd, but Merlin seemed to be avoiding him to instead stare at the ground with an apprehensive expression. Right, he had almost forgotten. Merlin feared everything to do with sorcery—more than one would expect from a defenseless peasant, that is. Even the mention of it seemed to always make him freeze up in fright.

From the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed his father raising his right hand, motioning for order. At once, the court’s chatter settled down into quiet mutters again.

“Yes, it is truly a joyous occasion. This does not mean, however, that we can allow ourselves to get complacent. As a high priestess, the witch had many followers, a lot of whom are still running free. We must do everything we can to—”

“ARTHUR PENDRAGON!” A shriek pierced through the hall suddenly.

Everyone whipped their heads around in surprise to see a ragged-looking old crone standing in the archway, foaming at the mouth and pointing a bony, trembling finger straight at Arthur. Confused whispering went through the air at the sight of the unknown woman.

His father rose up from the throne with a jerk. “What is the meaning of this?” he bellowed. “Guards, arrest the intruder!”

The crone bared her teeth, paying no mind to the armoured men coming her way at the king’s orders. She hobbled forward, looking Arthur in the eyes. “You stand here before them, celebrating the death of my mistress when it is your life she paid for! I shall make you regret every single day you outlive her!”

She growled a quick chant and then shot a hissing, sparking ball of light from her fingers.

The people screamed in fear, scattering in every direction as the obvious display of magic flew past them, heading directly Arthur’s way. “No!” he heard Merlin’s cry, his foolish manservant moving to get in the path of the spell. What was that idiot thinking, putting himself in danger like that? 

Luckily he was too slow, and the ball of light hit Arthur. He stumbled back at the impact, a loud “Oof!” escaping from his lips, and he felt the magic trying to take hold of his body. When it didn’t find anything to grasp on, the light started flickering. Unstable. Arthur found himself crouching down, limbs heavy with the weight of two supernatural forces warring within him. He noticed someone running towards him, calling his name. 

With a bright flash, as if by a lightning strike, the magic was thrown back. Arthur shielded his eyes as a wave of light washed over the room. 

Within a matter of seconds it was over. He blinked, looking up into Merlin’s pale worried face. 

“You idiot!” Arthur jumped up again, grasping his manservant by the shoulders and shaking him. “What were you thinking, throwing yourself in the path of the spell like that? Do you actually have a death wish?”

Merlin shook his head, opening his mouth presumably to defend himself. 

Arthur was not going to let him. “Shut up!” he barked, too worked up into his own worry to allow for objection. For a man who was so afraid of sorcery, Merlin was all too willing to sacrifice himself for the prince’s good. There was a tiny voice in his head that told him it should’ve been a source of pride to him, to have such a loyal manservant. Arthur shoved that voice to the back of his mind. He couldn’t lose Merlin, not like this. The last few weeks had made that abundantly clear to him.

It was at the very moment of this realization that he grew aware of the entire court’s eyes on them. He withdrew his hands quickly, as if stung, fighting the urge to blush. “L-listen, Merlin. You’re way too incompetent to go around fighting sorcerers, so leave those things to the professionals next time. We wouldn’t want there to be any accidents, after all.”

Slowly, Merlin’s bedazzled face morphed into a scowl. “Well, excuse me for getting in your way, _Sire_ ,” he spat, utilizing his particular talent of making any spoken honorific sound like an insult instead. “I’ll make sure to not let it happen again.”

Arthur made a face. This was neither the time nor place for this discussion—why couldn’t Merlin see that? He risked a wary glance over to the throne, certain that his father was not going to approve of Merlin’s display of insubordination. 

The sight that greeted him made him balk. His father... his father was gone! He stepped forward to get a closer look at the throne, barely registering the shocked gasps from the audience. That was when he heard it. 

“Croak.” 

Arthur paused. Where had that noise come from? Had he imagined it or had someone or something just—

“Croak.”

He frowned, looking around in confusion. It couldn’t be. The source of the noise, it couldn’t be what he was thinking, could it? 

Another step forward, and Arthur risked a careful glance down at the seat of the throne, where the king had been sitting just moments before. What he saw made him draw back, mouth falling open. “F-father?”

“Croaaaaak!”

On the red silken pillow—that should’ve been reserved for the royal bum only—now sat a huge, fat, wart-peppered toad.

For a few moments, the entire room was silent. Until suddenly, a cry from the audience, “The king is a toad!”

Then all hell broke loose.

~*~

Arthur shook his head, wide-eyed, senses blurring. He could not have… could he? His father. Into a toad. The curse. Oh, no.

The evidence was clear. When the witch had hit him with her spell, it had not been able to take effect but had reflected off of him instead. That this toad sat here instead of his father now could only mean one thing. His father was the one who had been transformed into a toad instead. And it was Arthur’s fault!

“Arthur!” Merlin’s sudden call pulled him from his thoughts, making him regain awareness of his surroundings. 

All around him, people were screaming.

He broke away from the sight on the throne, swinging around to face the panicking, agitated crowd. He had to get this under control.

“Guards!” he yelled as loud as he could to make himself heard in the clamour. 

His men reacted instantly, struggling to get through the chaos. It was almost impossible. With each moment that passed, the masses worked themselves up even more.

Arthur clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to bite his lip. He had to reverse the spell. It was the only way. Since he was immune to magic, maybe it would be possible for him to heal his father with his touch. That was how magic worked, right? 

He looked around, finding Merlin’s eyes. His manservant’s face looked stricken, almost scared. 

No. He could not try anything with so many witnesses. Everyone would find out about his curse. _Merlin_ would find out. He could not bear the thought of Merlin fearing him. The thought of Arthur being the cause of that expression of his... it was one that he would be glad to never see again in his life.

“Guards!” he repeated, more firmly this time.

“Yes, Sire!” 

Finally, they had made it through the crowd, lining up in front of the throne and looking up at him. Expectant. 

Arthur breathed out slowly. He had to be in control now. His father was compromised, so it fell to him to guide his people out of this. He was the only one who could do it. “Split yourselves up into three groups. The first will escort everyone out safely. Without any injuries. Can you do that?” He addressed one of the captains. 

The man gave an affirmative nod. “Consider it done, Sire!” 

At once he turned around, gathering his men to carry out the order he’d been given. They spread out from the sides, carefully pulling apart the rampaging crowd and leading them out of the hall.

“Good. Next is the witch.” Arthur looked toward the archway, to search for any sign of the woman who had caused all this. As he’d already expected, she was long gone. “She is a danger to all of Camelot while she’s running around free. Make sure you arrest her, and soon.”

“Yes, Sire!” the next group of guardsmen exclaimed, drawing their swords and heading out in a stout march.

He nodded, satisfied with his men’s professionalism. 

“Very well. Finally...”

“Sire.” He was interrupted by Gaius, who had been hovering around the back of the hall and was now making his way up to the dais. The old physician gave a respectful bow, and met Arthur’s questioning gaze with a serious expression. “It would be a wise course of action to find a reversal for the spell. If you would allow me to take His, erm, His Majesty, I could...”

“Absolutely not,” said Arthur. 

He could not have Gaius nosing about in this, else there would be no way to get to the toad without anyone watching. Especially Merlin. This was something he had to solve on his own.

“But,” said manservant piped up, a stunned look on his face, “if we took the toad—”

Arthur glared at him. “My word on this is final! The _king_ will remain in custody of the guard until we’ve found a cure for his condition.” He nodded towards the remaining group of men, before turning back to the court physician and his ward.

“Apart from that I believe I ordered for everyone to leave the hall. That includes you, Merlin. In fact, you know what? You’re dismissed for the whole day!”

Merlin’s eyes sparkled with defiance, those pretty lips forming a tight line. “Fine!” He jerked around, marching towards the doors in quick, angry steps. Gaius raised his eyebrow at Arthur to give him a judging stare. Then he hurried after the younger man.

Before he reached the archway Merlin stopped, turning his head once more. 

“It’s just as well that the king was transformed into a toad. The family resemblance is more striking than ever!”

With these words he stomped out of the hall, leaving a gaping Arthur in his wake.

~*~

“I cannot believe this prat!” cursed Merlin, throwing his arms in the air as he entered the physician’s chambers. “Does he want his father to remain a toad? Who does he think reverses all the curses he unleashes on Camelot on a bi-weekly basis?”

“Calm yourself,” admonished Gaius, walking over to his bookshelf where he pulled out several large tomes. “We will have to think this through lest we act rash.”

Throwing the books onto his workbench, he opened the first one, coughing lightly at the cloud of dust rising from the whitened pages. “How did you say it went down again? The curse hit Arthur first, and then reflected onto Uther?”

“Yes,” Merlin swallowed, mumbling in a soft voice, “I… I think it was me.”

Gaius looked up from his reading, eyes wide in surprise. “P-pardon?”

“I don’t know, Gaius. Everything happened so fast!” Merlin sighed dejectedly. If Arthur found out about this, he would have his head, whether or not Merlin had been trying to protect him. 

“It wasn’t exactly like I wanted to transform Uther! But there was the spell, and I didn’t get there in time, and then just… ugh. I’m guessing I did something to, you know"—he made a flourishing gesture with his hands that had Gaius give him a puzzled look—"transfer it.”

“Transfer it,” repeated Gaius, groaning. “Only you, Merlin… what am I going to do with you?”

Merlin gave him a crooked grin. “Grow old and bored?”

“I am already old,” said Gaius. He turned back to his books again, licking his thumb as he quickly leafed through the pages. “Well, no matter what happened, we better get to work finding out how to reverse it. I can look up some animal transformation spells for now, but to make an accurate assessment I will have to take a look at the, um, toad itself.”

“You want me to steal it,” Merlin realised, putting his hands to his forehead. 

Oh, why did it always have to be him? Things were awkward enough between them after that whole debacle with the Questing Beast. If Arthur caught him trying to kidnap his father, there would be hell to pay. “Gods, the prat is really going to kill me.” 

“Oh I wouldn’t be quite so pessimistic… I mean, you could just switch the toad for another one. Arthur would never have to know.”

Merlin made a face. That sounded like an absolutely awful idea, and not only because it meant he had to visit the bogs again to find them a second toad. “Gaius, you really want me to steal His Royal Croakness? There’s absolutely no other way?”

“What would you suggest we do?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe we could just… give him a kiss? It works in the fairy tales, doesn’t it?”

Gaius raised his infamous eyebrow again. He had the uncanny talent of making Merlin feel like a complete fool with only a glance. “Are you saying you want to kiss the king? I thought it was Arthur you were spending your days mooning over.”

“What?! N-no, of course not!” He shuddered. Merely the thought of having to kiss that old codger—while his eyes stared at Merlin unblinkingly, probably screaming ‘Sorcery!’ in his mind already... Alright, that was enough! He banished the mental image to the far corner of his mind.

“Well, I better go get that replacement toad then,” muttered Merlin, darting out of the room before he could say something else that would make him want to die from embarrassment. 

“Oh, and by the way, I do _not_ moon!”

He let the heavy door fall shut behind him.

~*~

It was late at night when Arthur finally shut the door on the last servant, sighing to himself as he allowed himself a moment’s rest. He’d been busy all day with damage control, organizing more patrols to search for the still free-running witch and trying his best to cover his father’s duties seeing as he was… indisposed.

He almost wished he hadn’t dismissed Merlin earlier, having missed his dopey grin and witty remarks, and— oh who was he kidding, he had just missed the man’s presence in general. 

But it had to be. He had to do this alone. Had to cure his father of this, before anyone would find the truth. Gaius had visited him twice more after the incident—to bring more and more theories about animal transformation spells, as well as lecture him about needing to take a look at the toad himself for further research. Arthur had dismissed him each time, but the old man would figure it out sooner or later. He was sure of it.

With a determined frown he threw a heavy cloak over his shoulders, masking his blond hair and dousing his face in shadows. He could not risk being recognized. Slowly, he pushed the door ajar, making sure there was no one in the corridor. Then he snuck out, making way for the chambers where he knew the king was being kept under strict surveillance of the castle guards. It was just as well that he had designed all of their schedules himself.

Arthur reached the room without trouble, letting himself in with a key for an unused servant’s entrance. It was almost entirely dark inside, only a small crack of light coming through from the gap beneath the doors.

He headed straight for the table in the center of the room where he knew the toad had been placed in a small basin. 

Before he reached it however, he paused.

He wasn’t alone.

There was a shadow. There, behind the table. As his eyes got used to the to the darkness he could see it more and more prominently. It had the figure of a man, hunched over the basin, one arm extended to grab inside it. Completely still, as he’d most likely heard Arthur entering moments before. An intruder.

Within a moment’s breath, Arthur was on him. 

He heard a startled yelp as he wrenched the man’s arms behind his back, overwhelming him with a few professional moves before the stranger could get the chance to attack. 

“Oof!”

To Arthur’s surprise the man stumbled wildly from the impact, losing control over his legs as they became entangled with his own. They lost balance, causing them both to fall onto the ground in a pile of elbows and knees and limbs.

Arthur gasped, blinking down into very familiar-looking blue eyes. The man stared up at him, petrified, as it dawned on both of them who they were facing, while lying in a very compromising position on the floor, in the middle of a dark room. Alone.

“M-merlin?” 

“I… uh.” Merlin opened his mouth and let it fall close again immediately, seemingly at a loss for words. 

“What are you doing here?” asked Arthur, not believing what he was seeing. Had his manservant followed him? Was he on to something, about his curse? No, that couldn’t be. Merlin had been here before him, that meant— “You were trying to steal the toad!”

“What? No! I was just…” 

Arthur wouldn’t have any of his excuses. “Don’t lie to me Merlin! I know you and Gaius have been wanting it for your investigations. You complete idiot, don’t you know what it would look like if you were caught? They’d have you for treason, or worse!”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you!” cried Merlin. “What are you doing here, by the way? Don’t tell me you wanted to steal it too!”

“I…” Arthur paused. 

Damn it all, this situation was exactly what he’d been trying to prevent with all the secrecy measures. He couldn’t tell Merlin the truth, obviously, but what else could he say? There was virtually no reason for him to sneak into the room where his own father was kept in toad form, to try and steal him no less.

Merlin raised an eyebrow—he was clearly getting it from Gaius—and Arthur felt panic rising in his chest. He couldn’t let him find out. Anything but that. Merlin would fear him!

“Shut up!” Arthur barked, his lips moving almost on their own accord. “Your tiny peasant brain wouldn’t understand the inner workings of royalty anyway, so it’s really none of your business!”

He regretted the words as soon as he closed his mouth again. Merlin gaped at him, hurt showing in his eyes before his face closed off into a tight mask.

“M-merlin, I didn’t mean…”

“No, I get it” his manservant cut him off. “I’m just a simple servant, right? It doesn’t matter what I think anyway.”

‘No!’ Arthur wanted to scream at him. ‘It’s your opinion that matters to me most of all! Can’t you see?’ But no matter how he fought with himself, no words came out. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“I… uh…” he coughed, shifting awkwardly from his position on top of Merlin. 

All at once he became aware of how close they were. Of their bodies and legs, aligning with each other inch for inch, as if they were made to fit together. Of their faces, barely a breath apart. His lips hovering over those of Merlin that looked so soft—it would take only a slight tilt of his head to capture them. He breathed heavily, feeling the blood rising to his face and, by the gods, to his nether regions as well.

As if stung Arthur jumped up. He couldn’t allow himself such thoughts! He didn’t even know if Merlin reciprocated yet! And considering he was his master as well… it was highly inappropriate. His father was here in this room with them, toad form or not!

‘Oh, no,’ Arthur thought as the realization crashed into him. His father had witnessed all of this.

“Croak.” 

“Huh,” breathed Merlin, looking down the inside of his tunic. “I almost forgot about them.”

“ _Them_?” Arthur repeated. 

Slowly Merlin picked himself up from the ground, making a face. “The toads. You see Gaius had the idea for me to um, bring a replacement so no one would—” 

Suddenly he let out a yelp, slapping a hand to his chest. 

Arthur’s mouth fell open as a fat brown creature crawled out from beneath the blue shirt collar, up into Merlin’s neckerchief. It jumped down to the ground, hopping away slowly as both of them watched in awkward silence.

“Croak.”

Arthur let out a hysterical laugh, not believing what he was seeing. Had Merlin really kept the toad in… “D-did you keep my father inside your shirt!”

“What? No!” shrieked Merlin. “I would never— this was the replacement, I swear!”

Arthur gave an incredulous huff.

“Then where is he?” 

“ _That_ might be a bit of a problem.” Merlin rubbed the back of his head, throwing him a sheepish look. “See, when you attacked me earlier I was so surprised that I kind of… dropped him.”

“Dropped him.”

“Er… yep.”

“You dropped. The king.” Gods. If Arthur were to throw him into the stocks for the next five weeks, it would be a mercy. It was moments like these where he wanted to put his hands on the other man’s neck, not sure whether to strangle him or pull him in for a passionate ki— no! Bad! 

‘You need to focus!’ Arthur told himself, giving an embarrassed cough. “We must find my father.”

“Yeah,” Merlin breathed.

Arthur turned around, tracing his steps back to the door through which he had entered. Slowly he pulled the handle, and with a quiet creak, the door swung open. Light from the corridor flooded the room, and he had to blink several times to get used to the brightness again.

Grabbing two torches from the wall outside, he walked back over to Merlin. “Take one. We’ll search the room. He can’t have gotten far. He’s a toad”

Shadows danced over Merlin’s face as he accepted the torch from Arthur, making him look ethereal in the soft firelight. “What if it’s the wrong one? The replacement, I mean. How will we tell them apart?”

Arthur shot him a look that he hoped conveyed just how many hours he was mentally adding onto his manservant’s time in the stocks right now. “You and Gaius really didn’t think this through, did you?”

When Merlin failed to answer, he turned his head, heaving a deep sigh. “I don’t think I even want to know the rest of your hare-brained plan.”

“Well, at least we had one!” Merlin cried indignantly, prompting Arthur to give him a frantic, “Shush!”

“...Apart from that,” continued Merlin, thankfully in a lowered voice, “you still haven’t told me why you felt the need to dress up in some stupid cloak and break into a room in your own castle. A room that is _guarded by men you ordered to_ , no less.”

Arthur bit his lip. He’d hoped they wouldn’t get to that topic again. “...Merlin?”

“Yes, Arthur?” 

“Shut up and start looking.”

“Yes, Sire.”

~*~

They looked for nearly half an hour, searching every nook and cranny of the room for any sign of amphibious activity. But naturally, given Arthur’s luck, the room held not a single clue to the whereabouts of either toad. He was this close to throwing one of his socks at his manservant, who kept babbling on and on about practically everything but the topic at hand.

“—do you think he would rather eat, um, flies or human food in his condition? I know he isn’t a real toad, but I can’t help wondering whether or not his mind has been transformed as well. It could be—”

“Merlin,” Arthur growled, “you are finding this very funny, aren’t you?”

His manservant shot him an innocent look, pressing his lips together into a thin line. “Oh no, never, Sire. I wouldn’t dream of making fun of the king!” The corners of his mouth kept twitching upward.

Arthur glared at him, silently daring him to laugh. ‘Just try it, you cheeky little…’

Merlin let out a snort and slapped his hands in front of his mouth. 

As Arthur’s glare intensified further, Merlin gulped, slowly backing away to the center of the room. When he hit the table with his behind, he turned in surprise to look into the basin for what felt like the umpteenth time. 

“They’re not here, are they?”

“What an astute observation, Merlin! I never would’ve guessed that myself!” Arthur huffed. He was at the end of his patience right now. They needed to find his father, and soon. 

Why, just why did he have to fall for such an idiot?

“Oh, stop being a prat! It’s not my fault we’re…” Merlin whirled around suddenly, his arms catching on the edge of the bucket, knocking it over. He squawked as it fell onto the ground with a loud thunk, splashing water everywhere. 

Arthur sputtered at the involuntary shower, looking himself down, dumbfounded. 

His cloak and sleepwear were dripping wet, glistening with a sticky-looking substance. He dearly hoped that was water—oh, who was he kidding? There was no way it was water—it was shimmering green. He was covered in toad slime, wasn’t he? 

Arthur looked back up at his manservant, not sure whether he should start laughing or crying.

Merlin’s mouth was hanging open. “O-oh!”

“What was that?” They heard a voice from outside, making them both jump.

Suddenly there were multiple footsteps, followed by someone pushing a key into the lock at the main door, trying to open it. 

Arthur didn’t waste any time. Before Merlin could start stammering an apology, he grabbed him by the neckerchief, dropping both their torches, and hauled his manservant out of the room through the side entrance. He ducked into an alcove and pressed them into the wall as closely as he could so they wouldn’t be seen by a passing servant. 

“Hey! What are— mmmmph!” 

Arthur pushed his hand over Merlin’s mouth. “Be quiet!” he hissed into his ear. “Or do you want them to catch us?”

Merlin grumbled something unintelligible but thankfully seemed to agree to be silent afterwards. Arthur quickly withdrew his hand again. His fingers were warm, tingling from having felt Merlin’s breath on them.

They were not a moment too late. As soon as they had gone quiet, he heard the door of the room swing open on the other side, multiple people marching in quickly.

“Did you hear that noise?” It was the voice of one of the guards Arthur had ordered to keep watch, in front of the room.

“Yeah.” That was the other one. 

“There was a crash in here—look, the basin for the king is knocked over!”

“The king!” He heard a grating sound, as if someone was pushing a table around. “Oh no, His Highness will not be happy...”

“Let’s just go looking for him. I mean he’s a damn toad! How far could he have gotten on his o-oh no!” 

A moment of silence.

“W-what is it?” 

“You seeing these greenish stains?” 

Oh no! Arthur hadn’t thought of those. He was still covered in water—they must’ve left a trail when they left the room!

“Greenish stains? Wait… those are footprints! We have an intruder!” 

Arthur cursed under his breath, leaning over to Merlin again. “We have to split up. I will search the east wing, the royal chambers and the council room. You cover the servant’s quarters and the lower floors. If none of us find anything, we will meet again in front of the throne room in an hour.”

“But—” Merlin piped up. Arthur shushed him pointedly, shaking his head.

“The servant’s entrance is unlocked. They’ve come this way!”

“Alert His Highness!”

“Run, Merlin!” Arthur ordered. “Remember—one hour. Then you meet me in front of the throne room!” With these words he jumped out of the alcove and dashed away. He would need to get back to his chambers first, to intercept the guardsman who would be heading his way.

As he rounded the corner, he heard voices entering the corridor. He dearly hoped it wasn’t Merlin they had found.

~*~

Merlin crashed into the physician’s chambers, gasping for breath. “Gaius! We’ve—we’ve lost them!”

Gaius almost dropped his reading glasses. “What?”

He slammed the door shut behind him and sank down against it, knees almost giving out beneath him. “The-the toads! When I tried to break in—Arthur! And we, he saw me… and then—”

“Calm, Merlin. Sit down first, and try to breathe slowly. Then tell me what’s happened.” 

“I…” Merlin sighed, letting his shoulders slump dejectedly. He did as he was asked and fell down on the wooden bench next to Gaius’ worktable. “Arthur caught me. When I, um, tried to swap the toads. He was sneaking in, too.” 

Gaius leaned forward, making an incredulous face. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t _know_!” he cried, forcibly running a hand through his hair. “It was strange. He was even dressed up all inconspicuously. Whatever he wanted, he wasn’t exactly happy with me seeing him. He dismissed me earlier, remember?”

“I see. Do you think he’s enchanted?”

Merlin shrugged. “I’ve honestly no idea. He’s been acting just like his usual prattish self otherwise.”

“But you did say you saw the spell hit Arthur first, earlier. Before you ‘transferred’ it, remember?”

“Yeah,” Merlin leaned over the books Gaius had spread open all over the wooden surface. They were full of complicated charts and diagrams that made his head spin. How were they going to find an answer in time? “Have you found out anything more about how that could’ve happened?”

Gaius shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I’ve never heard of a case of someone redirecting a spell that wasn’t aimed at themselves. It’s thought to be a thing of impossibility.”

Merlin deflated. He’d expected as much already. It seemed almost like his magic bent itself out of the way on purpose, to cause him trouble.

“ _However_ , I was able to identify the curse Uther’s been struck by.”

“Really?”

Gaius nodded. “It wasn’t as complicated as I expected, actually,” he mused, “because while there exist many spells that can perform animal transformation, I realized while researching that most of them are either caused by a potion or cursed object, or require the victim to be in line of view with the caster. The king was neither, obviously, as the spell was aimed for Arthur.”

Merlin nodded slowly, trying to absorb the information. His head swam from the theoretical mumbo-jumbo. “Can... this wait for when we’ve actually found the toad? I’m having a little crisis here, Gaius.”

His mentor shook his head. “No, listen. This is important. Because for this particular spell to be undone, you will need to make the caster reverse it in the same place where it was originally cast. Otherwise, it will only reverse itself upon the caster’s death.”

“The witch?” Merlin paled. 

“The witch.”

He let his head fall back in exasperation. “And I had almost forgotten about her— you think she will be back?”

“I am most certain of it,” said Gaius. “She said she is one of Nimueh’s disciples. I believe firmly that she won’t stop until she feels like she avenged her late mistress.”

Merlin stood up. “Then Arthur is in danger.”

And it was his fault. He was the one who killed Nimueh after all, not Arthur. What was worse, he didn’t do it in self defense or for the good of the kingdom—like Arthur would’ve done if he had really been the one to kill her—but for his own gain. He’d sacrificed her life so that those he loved could survive in her stead! Merlin was a murderer.

In the last few weeks he’d barely been able to look Arthur in the eyes, shame and guilt weighing him down like a chain made of lead. If Arthur was to be judged for Merlin’s sins now, that would be—

No.

“I can’t let her harm him,” Merlin said, voice distraught. “I have no idea why she’s blaming him for it, but I need to stop her before she can attack again.”

Gaius shot him a concerned look. “Surely you don’t plan to…?”

“I have to, Gaius.” 

Merlin clenched his hands, his face adopting a determined expression. “There’s only one way to draw her out—by telling the truth, Gaius. I need to confront her, in the throne room.” 

He knew what this meant. If he could meet the witch in the same place the spell was cast, there was a chance he would be able to convince her to transform back the king. Else, he would have to become a murderer again. 

Either way, he had to do it before the witch found Arthur. Hopefully he was not too late.

“But what of the toad- er, I mean, king?”

“His Royal Croakness can wait,” said Merlin, letting the door fall shut behind him. He had to find a raven to send his message.

~*~

Arthur was at the end of his patience. He’d been running around the castle like a madman, trying to find the thrice-damned toads—without success—while at the same time trying to keep the royal household calm as the message of the king having been ‘kidnapped’ had gotten out. He hadn’t even been able to change out of his muddy cloak, for heaven’s sake!

“Why are the alarm bells ringing?” he snapped at a passing guard. “I thought I told you, I have it under control!”

“Y-your Highness!” The man bowed deeply. “My deepest apologies, but we were not the ones to do it. It-it was an order from the captain of the patrol. The one you sent out this morning in search of the witch, Sire.”

“They have news of her?”

“She was seen in the castle, Sire.”

Oh gods, not _that_ too! Of all the bad times for a sorcerer sighting, this was probably the absolute worst one. “And no one thought to inform me of this?” yelled Arthur, making the poor guard shrink back in fright.

“P-please forgive me, Your Highness,” he whimpered, “I thought… you o-ordered us not to disturb you, and—”

“Enough.” Arthur held up a hand.

The man looked up at him cautiously from beneath his helmet. 

“Where and when was she last seen? Has there been an arrest? Has she attacked anyone else yet?”

“N-no, Sire. But she was heading for the throne room. The guards who tried to contain her were knocked out.”

The throne room. That was where he’d told Merlin to meet him! What if the witch attacked him? Arthur clenched his fists. The toads could wait, he decided. Merlin was in grave danger right now. He needed to run as fast as he could. 

“No one is to enter the throne room,” he told the guard. “Inform the others. I will try and apprehend the witch.”

“Y-yes, Sire!”

Arthur gave the man an encouraging nod and turned around. As fast as his feet could carry him, he ran, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

‘What if I’m too late?’ he thought anxiously as he hurried through the corridors, dodging two chambermaids carrying a pile of dirty linens. They almost dropped them in fright as he darted past them, but Arthur paid them no heed, his eyes focused single-mindedly on the path ahead. ‘What if the witch has already found Merlin? I’ll have to use my curse to protect him!’

He breathed heavily, jumping up the stairs that lead to the great hall three steps at a time. Could he do it? Could he really reveal himself to Merlin like this, even at the risk of him fearing Arthur? 

‘Yes. Yes I can,’ he realised, having to gasp for air for a moment when he finally reached the oak gates. It was really not much of a choice at all. If he had to decide between Merlin fearing him for his sorcery or coming to harm because of it, he would choose to protect him every time.

With this thought he kicked open the doors, drawing his sword as he burst into the throne room with a fierce battle cry. “I’m coming for you, Merlin!”

What he saw in there made him freeze with shock.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a nice surprise?”

The old crone turned around from where she had waited in front of the throne. On her face she wore a toothless smirk, and her bony hands clutched both of the toads tightly against her chest.

Merlin was there too, standing in between her and the archway. She had hurtled a spell at him just at the moment Arthur had entered the room. His servant’s hand was raised in front of his face protectively, eyes still glowing golden from when he’d blocked the magic. He’d made it sizzle away with just a flick of his fingers. As if it was nothing. 

When Arthur’s eyes met Merlin’s he saw something shattering in there; the golden light snuffed at once as if it were a candle, blown out by a strong wind leaving only a wispy, smouldering wick. Merlin grew pale, like a corpse, and fell to his knees. 

_No._ Arthur shook his head in denial, not believing what he had just seen. It couldn’t be.

The witch laughed. It was a hoarse, croaking sound. If he hadn’t seen her lips moving right there, he would’ve almost believed it to have come from one of the toads she was still holding. “You came just in time, princeling. Here I was thinking it was you who killed my mistress, what with your energy being all over her poor corpse when I found it! But oh, I couldn’t have been more wrong!”

She raised her right hand along with the toad that was clutched in its confines, pointing a wrinkled index finger straight at Merlin. ”It was this sneaky little rat here, hiding in your court like the traitor he is. Good thing I smoked him out for you, right?”

Arthur felt his heart falling, leaving behind only an ugly feeling that made his chest constrict. What was the old hag saying? Merlin killed her mistress, killed Nimueh? It couldn’t be true, Merlin would never hurt a fly, but he… Merlin, he had magic! Arthur had seen.

_Oh, gods. He’d seen._

“Arthur! Sire, please I…” He heard a voice at the edge of his conscious, pleading. Desperate. It sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it, couldn’t make it out. Everything was blurring in front of him.

When Arthur’s hands came up to touch his face, he was surprised to feel a wetness there. Tears. Was he crying? 

_Merlin._

The witch cackled, making Arthur blink heavily as he tried to focus his thoughts. “Oh, don’t you pull such a long face now! I was surprised too, you see? That you would have one of my own, right there beside you. And so adamant about protecting you, too! It’s truly ridiculous.”

Arthur gasped. Protecting him? But how? All sorcerers were evil, weren’t they? How could one of them want to protect him, when he was everything they hated? He was the one who outlawed them, killed them, even. One would have to be a monumental idiot to try and protect someone who wanted you dead. 

The old crone sighed, as if she had read his thoughts—and what did he know, maybe she had! Maybe she was really in cahoots with Merlin, trying to trick him by making him believe Merlin was on his side. 

Arthur tried pushing these thoughts away. Merlin would never, would he? He knew him!

Except he didn’t, actually. Merlin had magic. Merlin had killed someone. Merlin had lied to him, all along.

“Yes, can you believe it?” the witch continued her cackling, giving no inkling of having sensed his great inner turmoil. “He even tried to deflect that spell of mine earlier, the one that went so wonderfully wrong in all the right ways. The king as a toad—genius right? If someone asks, tell them it was totally on purpose!”

To Arthur’s great disgust, she proceeded to kiss both of the toads on their warty heads. “U-unhand my father this instant!”

Her smirk grew wider, gaining an ugly quality to it. “Ah, that’s where it becomes complicated, young princeling. See, I can’t have you coming between me and this murderous little worm here as I exact my revenge upon him, so I will have to keep this toad as a… security measure, of sorts.”

Arthur chanced a quick glance at Merlin, who was still kneeling there in the middle of the chamber, looking at him with such hope and despair burning in his eyes simultaneously that Arthur almost expected him to burst right there. 

He shook his head at the witch, not comprehending. She wanted to kill Merlin? Why? Wasn’t he her ally? Was this a trick, or did she really mean to...?

She gave a disturbingly girlish giggle. “Just be a dear and stand aside while I deal with this unpleasantness, will you? If you’re good, I might even turn your father back afterwards.”

“Wait, are you—” Arthur began but she was already raising her hand, murmuring an incantation at Merlin who was just. Sitting. There. 

Completely frozen.

Why in all seven hells wasn’t he getting away? 

‘Move, you idiot,’ Arthur wanted to scream, but his tongue seemed made of lead. The witch had said she would turn back his father if he only let her kill Merlin. Could he do it? Just stand aside as she attacked the person he’d thought most important to him? Was Merlin that person, or had it all just been a lie?

No matter the answer to that question, Merlin didn’t give any inclination of moving from his spot as the witch charged her spell, or even of beginning to mutter some counter to defend himself! It was true, Arthur thought, Merlin really was an idiot. A monumental one. 

Maybe even so monumental that he would indeed protect someone who wanted him dead.

And just as the witch had finished chanting, summoning an ugly violet flash that headed straight for his—idiotic, magical, still unmoving—manservant, Arthur made up his mind. 

With a single jump he leapt in front of him, covering Merlin’s body with his own as the spell crashed into his back with an ear-shattering crackle. “I can’t lose you, you idiot!” he screamed half with pain, half with wild madness at the thought of never seeing his foolish, adorable, annoying, lovely warlock again.

Merlin opened his mouth as if to say something, but Arthur wasn’t going to hear it. Looking into deep blue, no, _golden_ eyes he smashed their lips together, finally claiming what was his as the magic flooded through them and all around them, dancing in every colour. Rejoicing. How could he have thought this man was evil when he could feel such love, such devotion from their connection with just a single touch?

There was an unearthly scream somewhere behind them, but they paid it no mind. Merlin folded his arms around Arthur’s shoulders and kissed back just as fervently.

Finally the pain lessened and Arthur came back into himself, gasping as he released Merlin’s lips. 

In a sudden burst of clarity he regained awareness of his surroundings, the both of them crouching there on the floor in the empty throne room, limbs entwined. Arthur was still wearing his mud-covered cloak. He looked Merlin in the eyes but couldn’t make them out properly as black spots danced in his field of vision. When he raised his head, a strange wave of dizziness overcame him. 

He heard a groan, which made him turn around abruptly. 

Instead of the witch that had been there just moments earlier, his father was sitting in front of the throne in a pile of soot, rubbing his head and looking around with confusion in his eyes. A toad sat on his chest, croaking merrily. 

“What… what is the meaning of this? Where did everyone go?”

Arthur opened his mouth to answer but found his muscles refusing to work for him. Confused, he lifted his right leg, intending to stand up, but instead the whole room tilted around him. The ground seemed to disappear from beneath his feet, swallowing him up deeper and deeper. Falling. 

The last thing he heard was a beloved voice, calling his name with worry.

~*~

When Arthur came to again, he was lying in a soft bed, covered in blankets. A pale face was leaning over him, blue eyes fraught with concern.

“Merlin!” Arthur sat up abruptly, making his manservant draw back. “The witch, is she—”

“She’s gone,” said Merlin.

“The moment her spell touched you, she crumbled into dust. You won’t have to worry about her anymore.”

Arthur bit his lip. “And the king? How has he been faring?”

“He remembers nothing.”

He exhaled with relief. So his father would not have heard anything during their conversation with the old crone. It meant Merlin’s secret was still safe, he was still safe. He was…

“You’re a sorcerer!” Arthur exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Merlin. He couldn’t believe the man had lied to him all this time. He wanted to be angry at him, scream at the betrayal.

“I am,” said Merlin simply, meeting his gaze.

Arthur sighed, sinking back into his pillows and closing his eyes. “And here I was worried you would fear me, that you would fear this curse I seem to be under that makes me absorb sorcery as if it was air. It seems we both weren’t able to trust each other.”

“I’m sorry.” It was almost a whisper, so quiet Arthur had to strain his ears to make out the words. His chest felt tight, throat constricting.

“...I forgive you,” he answered, finally, looking at Merlin again and grabbing his hand before the other man could draw back further. “For what it’s worth, I can understand now some of the fears that must’ve gone through your head. I don’t think you’re evil.”

Now it was Merlin’s turn to gasp. He pressed his other hand in front of his mouth, face tight, but Arthur could still see the tears forming in his eyes. His eyes were wrinkled at the corners—they were happy tears.

Arthur huffed, looking away. 

“Don’t go all feelsy on me now,” he muttered. “You’re way too idiotic to be evil. How that witch got to the conclusion you were plotting anything has me baffled.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, but it did nothing to hide the fact that he was grinning like a loon. 

Despite himself, Arthur found his lips curving upwards as well. “How did she find out about you anyway? Your magic, and you killing Nimueh, I guess. She seemed convinced it was me earlier.” 

Merlin had fooled him for a long time without him suspecting anything, he thought, so how could that old hag have found out so quickly?

“Well,” Merlin made a face, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I told her.”

“ _You did what_?” 

Did his foolishness know no bounds? Arthur shook his head, horrified. 

“I had to!” cried Merlin defensively. “She wanted to kill you, and for something you hadn’t even done! I did it to protect you!”

Arthur scowled, sitting up and tapping Merlin on the chest with his index finger. “From now on,” he spoke with conviction,“you come to me if you encounter troubles like these. You will not shoulder them on your own anymore! Is that understood?”

Merlin looked at him, wide-eyed. 

“I said, is that understood, _Mer_ lin?” Arthur was not going to let him get out of this. If Merlin wanted to be his usual idiotic self and protect him with magic despite it clearly being outlawed at the pain of death, the least he could do in return was allow for Arthur to protect him too. After all, Merlin was his. His manservant, his sorcerer. His other side of the coin.

“I… uh. Yeah.” Merlin broke out into one of those rare bright smiles, the kind that had dimples forming on his cheeks. 

Something warm welled up within Arthur’s chest. 

“However,” his face grew serious once more, ”that does not mean I’m not angry at you! I expect you to fill me in with all the details about your little _adventure_ with the sorceress Nimueh later. And whatever else you might have kept from me.”

“Oh, that…” Merlin winced, his gaze growing heavy. Damn it, there was that unhappy face again that had plagued Arthur so much these last few weeks. 

Quickly, he decided to change the topic. “And please do explain to me, did you have something to do with me suddenly growing immune to magic? Because it seems just like something you would do, now that I think of it.”

“Ah.” Merlin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “No. I don’t think that was me. Though Gaius did have a few theories. Something about your life having been bound to Nimueh’s magic and making up for the absence of it after her death…?” He trailed off when Arthur threw him a sceptical look.

“We... will have time to discuss it in detail at some point. And your magic.”

Merlin’s eyes grew hopeful again, and Arthur knew that they were going to be okay. They could work through this. Somehow. The warm feeling in his chest kept growing stronger and stronger, almost too much for him to bear. Was this what love felt like?

When Arthur realized his thoughts had traveled into mushy-and-corny territory again, he coughed awkwardly. “W-wonderful! Now, if you would be so kind and get me something to eat? My manservant has been neglecting me in favor of foolishly going after witches on his own.”

“Oh, shut up, you big prat. It’s not like you’re going to starve,” grumbled Merlin, shooting a pointed glance at Arthur’s belly.

“H-hey! It’s treason to imply the crown prince of Camelot is fat!”

Merlin couldn’t contain his chuckle. “I’m so sorry, your Highness! I shall go at once to right this wrong you have been dealt.”

As he made to get up from the bed, Arthur gripped his arm, pulling him down into a passionate kiss. He squawked at first but then closed his eyes, melting into it. After what could’ve been an eternity or one single moment, Arthur withdrew his head. “Get enough food for two,” he murmured against Merlin’s mouth, releasing him.

Merlin stood there for a moment with a dazed look on his face, touching his lips almost disbelievingly.

Then he grinned, giving a mocking bow. “At once, Sire.”


End file.
